Article timing and indexing mechanism



March 10, 1953 J. 5. BOZEK 2,630,904

ARTICLE TIMING AND INDEXING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 28, 1952 4 Sheets-Sheetl o m m d $17G; 2 I o 3 INVENTOR. JOHN S. BOZEK.

A T TO/PNEV.

March 10, 1953 J. 5. BOZEK- ARTICLE TIMING AND INDEXING MECHANISM 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 28, 1952 INVENTOR. JOHN S. BOZEK.

W! a M A TTOPNEV.

March 10, 1953 J. s. BOZEK ARTICLE TIMING AND INDEXING MECHANISM 4Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Jan. 28, 1952 INVENTOR. JOH/V 5. BOZEK. J 5:47'7'ORNEK March 10, 1953 J. 5. BOZEK ARTICLE TIMING AND INDEXINGMECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Jan. 28, 1952 m GE .V. In M mZ. R M w T5 A Mam J mv V. B

Patented Mar. 10, 1953 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

ARTICLE TIMING AND*INDEXING MECHANISM John S. Bozek; FranklinPark,..lll., assignor to Standard'Packaging' Corporation, Chicago, IllI,

a corporation of Virginia Application January 28, 1952;Seriai.No.-.268;498z;

15v Claims.

The; present. invention relates to timingv and; indexing'mechanismssf oruse with articles. which. are positioned atxrandonron .a; conveyorandhas: particular reference to a mechanism. wherein, filied bottleswhich are incorrectly: positionedun theconveyor are repositionedvindexed,.., or

timed relation, whereby they may be: ied'con tinuously and in successiontoa rotary timing screw: for conducting themto a bottle. closure.

sealing machine or the-like- This: invention contemplates: a mechanism.which is p-articularlysuitabl-e. for: use with articles;

such as filled glass bottles. or the 1ike;.and which may beinsertedadjacent a conveyor'connecting different machinesin: a line, as; for;example,..a.

bottle fillingmachine and a bottle closure applying: and sealingmachine; wherein the. discharge ofbottles from the first machineis'nottimed with.

the operation of the .second machine. In such a situation, itis.essentia1. that the-filled bottles.

be accurately. indexedinto the second: machine.

to-avoid the possibility of havingthem crushed.

by the; feed-in: device of. the second machine.

In thepresent: mechanism a; pivotall-y mountedxstop, or trip,..finger-is. locatedcorr awmovahle blocklocated adjacent a conveyorhavingua con.---

tinuously advancing conveyor chainand is; actuated by. the leading edgeof a;.1bottle:. supported upon saidadvancing: conveyor. chain. to.momentarilyhalt' its forward progress until it is. prop: erly' timed orindexed; The-fingerlisithen auto matically withdrawn: fromthe: edge of.the: bot-.-

tle; .whenz-saidblock' is moved laterally by acam; mounted "upon the endof a continuouslyrotat ing. timing. screw operated by suitablepowcr:driven means. The, released and. timed bottle is: thereuponadvancedbythe. conveyor chainjinto. agroove or pocket of :said.rotating'tinciing.screw for delivery to an inf-.eed star wheelroi'a. closure applying andsealing machine as described a copending applicatiom. Serial No.225,782, filed May 11, 1.951, and assignedto thesameassignee: as theassignee of. this application The sizeand: contour ofcthecammountedtupon the end. of. the continuously'rotating timingv screwispreferably shaped for different size-bottles; just as the size andcontour of the grooves or-pockets varyinidifferent size. timingiscrews:for different sizedbottlesl Every bottle which is initially positionedon: the: conveyor is momentarily intercepted by the stop, or trip,finger and then allowed,

to prcceed'uninterruptedly into the'first groove or pocket of the timingscrew.

' (lathe-other hand, every bottle which is. uns

timed or mispositioned on the convey.or;.,i.- e.

which is not positioned Within the allowable limits:-

and which would be broken or'crushed shouldit bepermitted to proceedunmterruptedly into-a groovesorxpocket .ofthe timing:- screw; is haltedv by the stop finger until itisproperly timed andl positioned to besafely receivedbythe. timing;

screw.

The. mechanism; is designed .sothat arow of;

abutting; bottles 1 may lee-safely; fedlby the conveyor; chain-to thetimingyscrew provided the first container in the row is properlyindexed.-

The; trip :fin-gcr; therefore operates to index the first bottle in sucha row and is-thereafterpositioned: between adjacent bottles and.smoothlyoperated by contacting succeeding bottles .in.-,the.-

rowwithout disturbing; the continuous: flow of bottles When a: break inthecontinuityof .the

row occurs, the trip-fingeronce morebecomes operativeto timeand/orcorrect the position of the nextbottle 'tOnbGfBdxtQ -it,, should suchcorrection be necessary.

An object of- .the invention. is to provide an indexingmechanism whichstops the advanceoi arbottle which is untimed and/or mispositioned on acontinuously moving conveyor chain. until it is properly positioned onthe latter;

Another object of the inventionisto provide a.

mechanism which. will index isolated bottles or closelyspaced-and/orabutting bottles delivered atrandom on aconveyor chainso.they may besafelyi fed in. spaced order into a -feeding;device such'as.-

arc-tary timing-screw which will-move thelbottles toany desired-machine;as for: exam-pleyto an in-.

feed star wheel ofa closureapplying. and sealing, -;machine ortheyl-iken A, further objectis to pro-videan indexing and/ or .a timing;mechanism \wherein-rthe index--- ing operation. isperformedlpartial-ly-by the b0trtlesheingindexed, and artially-by.devices which. operatezcontinucusly and; independently of. the.

bottle.

An additional object is .toprovide an. index.- ing mechanism whereinthetrip finger which performs :the timing. and/or indexing operationis,I tripped. by each" bottle which :is :positionedron. aaconveyor chainbut will allowabuttingbottles to1 travel.without-having their positionson the+con veyor changed once the;- first 1 bottle is: properly timedand/or. indexed and. allowed to pass. to' a suitable rotating; timin-screw asdesired.

stillanother-object is to provide amechanism: mcludmg a continuouslyrotating,-ti-ming screw which isv so iormedawith' acam. atv one: end:thereof,

thatin conjunction with a, continuously moving; horizontal conveyorchain and c. a: :trip fingerde--- vice, the mechanism will stop theadvance of a bottle which is mispositioned on the conveyor chain untilit is properly timed and positioned on the latter, and then allows thebottle to advance with the conveyor chain and come in contact with therotating timing screw so that the bottle will move at a desired rateirrespective of the degree of friction between the bottle and theconveyor, and will also operate to gradually increase the spacedrelation between a plurality of bottles that may be delivered to aninfeed star wheel, or the like, by the conveyor chain in a positivemanner and without danger of injuring the bottles being conveyed orspilling any contents thereof.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentas it is better understood from the following description, which, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferredembodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a power driven conveyor chain anda timing mechanism constructed in accordance with the principles of thepresent invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the conveyor chain and timing mechanismshown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 inFigure 2, parts being broken away;

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to Figure 2 but showingthe timing mechanism in a different operating position, parts beingbroken away;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective end view of the timing screw withthe timing operating cam mounted on the end thereof;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the timing finger and the operatingparts in conjunction therewith;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the mechanism shown in Figure 6 butshowing the mechanism from a diiferent angle;

Figure 8 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to Figure 2 showing thetiming mechanism, parts being broken away;

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing the end of the timingscrew with the cam in operating position and in contact with a portionof the timing finger, parts being broken away;

' Figure 10 is an enlarged fragmentary view similar to Figure 8, partsbeing broken away to show the spring between operating parts thereof.

As an exemplary embodiment of the present invention the drawingsillustrate a mechanism wherein bottles A which are advanced at random orin untimed position by a conveyor chain 20 are indexed and delivered toa rotating timing screw 2! which in turn feeds them along the stationaryconveyor 15, and conveyor chain 20, and gradually increases the spacedrelation between the bottles so they may be delivered to any suitablemachine, or part thereof such as an infeed star wheel, or the like, ofany closure applying and sealing machine.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the bottles A are shown tohave two flat sides 22 and 23, and circular end portions 24 and 25,although it should be clearly understood that the invention is capableof use with bottles of round and other shapes.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, each bottle A isadvanced along the conveyor [5 by conveyor chain 20 and held inalignment by the conveyor side rails 26 and 27. Said conveyor chain 28is driven by suitable means embodying a motor 23 and a pulley 29 whichis mounted upon shaft 32. Said pulley 29 drives a belt 32 which in turndrives a pulley 33 mounted upon shaft 3 3. One end of shaft 3 is pressedinto a bevel gear 35, which is suitably mounted and arranged to drive abevel gear 36 mounted upon the upper end of a vertical shaft 37. A bevelgear 38 is mounted upon the lower end of said shaft 31 and arranged tobe driven by shaft 31. The bevel gear 38 is suitably mounted andarranged to drive a bevel gear 39 rigidly mounted upon shaft 4a whichdrives the sprocket M mounted thereon. Said sprocket 4! pulls theconveyor chain 29 which supports and conveys the bottles A.

The shaft 3 is supported by a bearing 42 and has a bevel gear 35 at oneend thereof. Said shaft is provided at its other end with a keyway andkey 44. A bushing 45 is pressed into the outlet end 45 of the timingscrew 21; said bushing designed to fit over the end of said shaft 36,and the key 44. Therefore, motor 28 drives said conveyor chain 20 andsaid timing screw 21 through the intermediation of said pulleys, shafts,and bevel gears, all independent of the bottles, or the movementthereof.

The timing screw 2i has an inlet end l! of much smaller diameter thanits outlet end 48, and it is provided with a continuous helical rib 48forming a continuous helical groove 49 which in turn provides aplurality of bottle pockets 56, 5|, E2 and E3 in conjunction with theside rails 26 and 27. The inlet end l? is provided with a cylindricalportion 555 with an adjustable cam 62 attached therewith. Said portion55 forms a bushing for the inlet end if similar to bushing 45 for theoutlet end 46 thereof. One end 5 1 of a stud shaft 5'? is removablymounted in a support member 58, the lower end 59 of said support beingsecured to the stationary conveyor 15. The bearing end E0 of stud shaft51 is inserted into the bushing formed in cylindrical portion 55 tosupport the revolving inlet end 41, the withdrawal of end 6%) permitsthe removal and changing of the timing screw 2| where different sizescrews are needed for different size and shaped bottles used on theconveyor chain 20. Attached to portion 55 is a cam 62 clearly shown inFigure 5. Said cam 62 can be adjusted by means of adjusting members 63and G4 which are secured and fit within slots and 95 of the cam 62. Bymoving said cam to a difierent position with reference to the timingscrew 2!, the timing of the bottles is changed, the first bottle willenter the first pocket 56 of the screw 26, sooner or later in accordancewith the adjustment of said cam. Because said cam is secured to saidtiming screw 2i it will govern and give perfect timing of the bottles tothe first pocket of said screw. The cam is so constructed that thelength of the outside circumference thereof is in direct proportion tothe width of the traveling bottles upon the conveyor chain 20.

The complete timing operation of the bottles depends upon the operationof the stop finger 65 and associated parts, or mechanism, along withsaid cam 62, as clearly shown by Figures 6 and '7. Said timing mechanismconsists of a bracket 66 which is secured to the angle iron support 61which forms a part of the stationary conveyor I5 and serves as a supportfor the conveyor chain 20. A horizontally arranged plunger base 68 issecured to said bracket 66 by suitable means. Said base 68 is providedwith ads-apes ch arehin ed ethe m an of 11a verti-- cally arranged stud70, thereby providing a pivot point for said stop finger 653 as finger69 only moves laterally with respect to said base while finger 65 moveslaterally and also pivots in a horizontal manner.

as controlled by the cam 62 v is provided with a cut-'out pprtion Hfor-"receiving a tooth 52 formed on one side of'fingerBEy Ihe fingers 65and 69' are resiliently separated by means of acompressionspringliihaving the ends thereof positioned in openings'l' l and 75- providedin said fingers 65' and 69' closed *to their pivoted ends. A pin 16arranged vertically in the plunger base serves as a stop means for saidfinger 65. in counter action to further movementcaused by said spring13'. Said finger 65has a recess therein forreceiving said'ping'lfi; andas long as said pin 16 is in said recess 'iflneitherv finger 55 nor 69can be movedlaterally away from theconveyor chain 20; Once the finger 65is moved laterally inlineowith the conveyor chain, to relieve said pin'wfroin said recess H and at the same time move, the tooth 12 intocut-out portion H of finger same hinged fingers 55 and 69 can be movedlaterally awayvfrom the 20 if not retracted by said cam 62. Thevariousparts are clearly shown in assembled relation by Figure 10.

In the illustrated embodimentof theiinvention, each bottle A is advancedalong the con-v veyor l by the conveyor chain 20, the bottle havingpreviously been placedupon the chain in random position in any suitable.manner,

for example by the dischargemechanism of a;

The chain-.29 is pulled by thepower driven sprocket 4| and-kept inproper-- alignment bymeans of sprocket 86 at, theinlet: The upperflights ofthe filling machine.

end of the conveyor. chain zu extend above the stationary: conveyor I5so that they engage-and; supportthebottles, which areguided along apredetermined path of travel by said guide rails 26 and 21.:

As each bottle advances along the,;c onveyor; P5 its forward progress ismomentarily halted by;

its edge portioncoming in contact with theend portion 8d of stop finger55,- said-fingertE is:ac-t tuated by the bottle and moved intoclosecontact with finger 69, the tooth l2; on finger 55 entering thecuteout portion H of finger GS. The

bottle is, stopped from, progressing until the fingers: fifixand 69 aremoved awayfrom the conveyorochain 20.

Rotation of the timing screwZI in a-counterclockwise direction, whenviewed toward its inlet: end 2!, isbrought about through suitablepowerdrive means as previously described. When the lower portion oftooth 72 of finger 55is inthecut-out opening 1! of finger 69, theiupperpore tion 81 of tooth 12 extends above-the upper sur-.

face of said finger 69. said cam 62; revolving with the timing screw 2|,travels above theuppersurface of finger 69'but wilt-striketheforwardface 88 or said portion 81 of tooth-'lZ-wheneven saidtooth is insaidopening 11'. Therefore;

Said finger 6,9 only-=moves toward away from said conveyor chain 20Said; finger 69" when the timingscrew-i I is substantiali'y injathe;desired position to-recei-vea bottlein its-first pocketifi; said cam 62'will'strike face=88 of tooth 12* and force the pivoted fingers =-and 69as: a unit in a rearwardly direction against the action of"spring-82-:-It mustberememberedthatthe action only-takes-place when -a bottle-- isholding finger-65-into engagement with fingerfit; otherwise; the cam El-passes-o-ver the upper-surface of finger" 6% without comingin contactwith-the tooth 72. When said fingers are held in a rearward positionbycam62, as shown-byFigure 4, the bottle A is; allowed to be carriedby-the conveyor chain iiil'into thefirstpocketill o-f the timing screw 2I I withoutcoming--into=centact--with the helical rib" 58 m saidscrew-21-andbecomingcrushedor da-m aged; After each bottle; has passedthe fingers B5 and- 59; saidfihgersare forced back -to -theoperatingposition-when permitted by'said spring 82 and held there untilthey-are-removed--again= by said cam 62. It isevident that thefingerscannot return to operating position under spring pressure until the cam(i2 permits-themto-do so, the 7 duration of the camaction isinproportion tQf'th-QWidth' of the passing bottles:

As-thefingersBE andta-arereturned toopera! ing position overtheconveyorchain 20-, the compression spring- 13 separates said two fingers a-ndmovesthe tooth I2 out of opening-1i andout oithe way-of the cam 6-2until the nextbottleA comes along and pushes the finger 65- againagainst finger" (59; after which the whole prosedureisrepeated Bychanging the sizea-nd posi tion of-the cam 62 any-size bottle canbe-perfectly timed; Different size bottlesusuallyrequire a di-fierent'size timing screw; therefore the proper size timing screw'is generallyprovided with the I proper size cam to allow proper-indexing of-bottles. Thetiming screws with proper-cams can easily be changedwithinashorttirneby any operator by removing stud shaft5-1 from the-inlet endof any timing screw, replacing the proper" timing screwand insertingsaid-stud-shaft 5 within the inlet end of thenewtiming screw.

The above descriptionis-given for the operation of the mechanismuponisolated bottles." When a row of abutting bottles is fed the operationofthemechanismis basically; the same. The flrstcontainer of a row' of'abutting bottles; if it isnot properly indexed; onthe conveyor-- chain20; is stopped by-the-fingers 65 incooperation with finger 69*in'themanner above described and'isthus properly-indexedon the chain 29:- Thisoperation, of course; repositions the whole; row of bottles-on theconveyorchainZBz; Upon" the'release of the first'bottle,and-asittravels'' into the first pocket'of "the timingscrew-2 I;thesucceeding bottles move forward alongwith the'first bottle and aredecelerated with -it-as it engages said first pocket and iseased-therein; The secondbottle is brought-intocontact with" said finger-65 as said finger project-s above the"- conveyor chain- ZQ-and between"the first and'i second bottle. The procedure is repeatedforeach-succeeding-bottle-inthe row; Becauseof the' size and shapeof-cam 62" the fingers, once" they are contacted by a succeeding-bottle,aremoved away from the conveyor 'chain by said cam at the-proper time sothat eachsucceeding-- bottle is substantially allowed to travel'alongin' the conveyor! 5'without any interruption;

After: the continuity-of the row of bottles has been" broken, the nextbottle-- to approach the- "mechanism',- if untimed; ormispos'itioned, is

aeeaeos stopped and indexed by the finger 65 in conjunction with finger69 and the associated parts.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantageswill be understood from the foregoing description, and it will beapparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction andarrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the formhereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. A bottle timing mechanismcomprising a conveyor with stationary siderails and a movable conveyor chain for advancing said bottle, acontinuously rotating timing screw for receiving bottles conveyed bysaid conveyor chain, stop means located adjacent said conveyor chain andactuated by said bottle horizontally and in the direction of movement ofthe conveyor when the latter is mispo'sitioned on said conveyor chainand is not in proper position to be received by said rotating timingscrew, said stop means being spring moved horizontally and transverselyof the conveyor to engage and to stop the advancement of the bottlewhile said conveyor chain advances, and means actuatable independentlyof said bottle for disengaging said stop means from said bottle when thelatter is properly positioned on said conveyor.

2. A bottle timing mechanism, comprising a conveyor with stationary siderails and a continuously moving conveyor chain for advancing saidbottle, a continuously rotating timing screw having a helical grooveforming a pocket for receiving bottles advanced by said conveyor chain,a stop finger located adjacent said conveyor chain and actuated by saidbottle horizontally and in the direction of movement of the conveyorwhen the latter is out of time to enter said pocket of said continuouslyrotating timing screw, said stop means being moved by a springhorizontally and transversely of the conveyor to engage and to stop theadvancement of the bottle, and cam means actuatable independently ofsaid bottle for disengaging said stop finger from said bottle when thelatter is properly timed on said conveyor. v

3. A bottle indexing mechanism, comprising a conveyor with acontinuously moving conveyor chain for supporting and advancing bottles,a continuously rotating timing screw for receiving the bottles advancedby said conveyor chain, a stop finger located adjacent said conveyor andactuated by said bottle horizontally when the latter is mispositioned,means operated by a spring for normally maintaining said stop finger inextended position to intercept untimed bottles not properly timed to bereceived by said timing screw, said stop finger operating horizontallyfor engaging and holding said untimed bottlesto properly time them onsaid conveyor chain, and cam means for moving said stop finger toretracted position to release said properly timed bottles.

4. A mechanism for timing a bottle, comprising a conveyor with acontinuously moving conveyor chain for supporting and advancing saidbottle, a continuously rotating timing screw for receiving bottles uponsaid conveyor chain, stop means located adjacent said conveyor chain andactuatable by a bottle horizontally and in the direction of the movementof the conveyor when the bottle is not in timed position to be receivedby said timing screw, said stop means when actuated having a projectingpart to engage the end wall portion of said bottle and to stop theadvancement of the latter while said conveyor chain continues to advancesaid moving conveyor chain maintaining said bottle in engagement withsaid stop means, and cam type means for Withdrawing said stop means fromsaid end Wall portion of the bottle when said bottle is properly timedon said conveyor chain.

5. A mechanism for indexing bottles, comprising a conveyor with acontinuously moving conveyor chain for supporting and advancing saidbottles, a rotating timing screw having spaced grooves for receiving thebottles, a stop finger located adjacent said conveyor chain, springoperated means for normally maintaining said stop finger in operativeposition and in the path of bottles advancing upon said conveyor chain,botties engaging said stop finger being untimed for proper receipt intoone of said timing screw grooves, said untimed bottles moving said stopfinger horizontally and in the direction of the movement of the conveyorinto intercepting and holding position to prevent bottle movement withthe conveyor chain as long as said stop finger is in extended position,cam type means secured to said timing screw for moving said stop fingerto retracted position to release any held and correctly timed bottles.

6. A mechanism for indexing bottles, comprising a continuously movingconveyor chain for supporting and advancing said bottles, a timing screwhaving spaced helical grooves for receiving the bottles, a stop fingerlocated adjacent said conveyor chain, spring operated means for normallymaintaining said stop finger in operative extended position to interceptbottles untimed ior receipt into one of said timing screw grooves, cammeans secured to said timing screw moving said stop finger toinoperative position to release said bottles when correctly positionedon said conveyor chain for receipt into said timing screw groove, saidspring operated means operable to cause said stop finger to return tooperative position, and said cam means for moving said stop finger whentripped and moved horizontally by a bottle to its inoperative positionso that succeeding bottles properly timed on said conveyor chain willpass by said finger uninterruptedly.

7. A mechanism for indexing bottles, comprising a conveyor with acontinuously moving conveyor chain for supporting and advancing saidbottles, a continuously rotating timing screw having helical ribs andgrooves, said grooves for receiving the bottles, a stop finger locatedadjacent said conveyor chain, spring operated means for normallymaintaining said stop finger in extended operative position to interceptand delay advancement of bottles untimed for receipt in the timing screwgrooves, cam means for moving said stop finger to inoperative positionto release said retarded bottles then correctly timed on said conveyorchains, said spring operated means and said cam means working as a unitfor holding said stop finger in operative position for a predeterminedperiod of time and then moving it horizontally to inoperative positionat the proper time so that bottles timed correctly on said conveyorchain will contact and pass by said stop finger uninterrupted.

8. A mechanism for indexing bottles, comprising a continuously movingconveyor chain for supporting and advancing said bottles along apredetermined path of travel, a stop finger mounted adjacent saidconveyor chain, a pivoted portion at one end of said finger, a stop edgeportion at the other'end of said-finger extending into the path oftravel of said bottles and being movable horizontally and in thedirection of movement of the conveyor by one of said bottles, said stopedge --rema-ining in contact with said bottle to thereby stoptheadvancement of the latter, and separate cam type means 'forwithdrawing said stop finger when the'bottleis properly timed on saidconveyor. 7

9. A mechanism for timing bottles, comprising a continuously movingconveyor chain for supporting andadvancing containers positioned atrandom thereon, a continuously rotating timing'screw having spacedhelical grooves for receiving bottles from said conveyor chain, asliding block mounted adjacent-said conveyor chain, spring type meansfor urging said block horizontally'into operative position, a stopfinger having its rear end pivotally mounted on said block forhorizontal movement thereof and its forward end engageable by bottles onsaid conveyor chain then passing saidblock, such bottles being'inuntimed position for receipt into said helical grooves, said fingerbeing engageable only when said block is in operative position and whenso engaged preventing advancement of untimed bottles holding them forcorrect timing, cam means for moving said block into inoperativeposition to release said repositioned containers, and cam meansconnected with said rotary timing screw for moving said block toinoperative position for sufiicient time to permit uninterrupted passageof the correctly positioned bottles.

10. A mechanism for indexing bottles, comprising a continuously movingconveyor chain for supporting and advancing said bottles along apredetermined path of travel, a movable block type member mountedadjacent said conveyor chain and arranged to be moved horizontally andtransversely therewith, a stop finger pivotally mounted on said blocktype member for horizontal movement thereof and actuatable by saidbottle when said block type member is in a position adjacent to saidconveyor chain, the outer end of said finger to project into and engagethe lower portion of said bottle to stop the advancement of the latter,and a cam member for moving said block type member horizontally to aposition away from said conveyor chain to disengage said stop fingerfrom said bottle when the latter is properly indexed on said conveyorchain.

11. A mechanism for indexing bottles, comprising a continuously movingconveyor chain for supporting and advancing bottles positioned at randomthereon, a block type member movably mounted adjacent said conveyorchain so it can be moved horizontally, spring means for urging saidblock member horizontally into operative position adjacent said conveyorchain, a stop finger pivotally mounted on said block member so it can bemoved horizontally, said finger being held in operative position whensaid block member is in operative position, a contact edge on said stopfinger, a portion of said contact edge extending into the path of travelof said bottles to stop said bottles and be moved horizontally by thosebottles which are present and untimed on said conveyor chain, cam meanssecured to a continuously rotating timing screw for moving said blockmember horizontally into inoperative position to thereby disengage saidstop finger from said bottles when said bottles are present, said timingscrew for receiving said bottles as they are conveyed by said conveyor10 chain, and said timing screw having helical ribs and grooves soshaped that it operates to time the bottles by retarding the forwardmovement 'c'al 'rib's and groo'vesjsaid grooves for receiving said"bottles, a slidable block member mounted adjacent said conveyor'chainsoitcanbemoved horizontally, a stop finger pivotally mounted on saidslidable block member so "itcan be moved horizontally and actuated by said"bottle when said slidable block is in position adjacent to saidconveyor chain 'to stop the advancement "of the latter, "cafn means formoving said block horizon ly to a positionfajway fromsaid-c n 'yp "chainto release saidbot'tle from saids'to'p'finger when the bottle isproperly timed on *s'aidconveyor chain, and springmeans associated withsaid block for hcilding "said block in its forward and operativeposition, cam means for moving said block horizontally to inoperativeposition, said cam mounted on the end portion of said rotating timingscrew, said spring means and said cam means working as a unit forholding said stop finger and block member in operative position for apredetermined period of time and then moving it to inoperative positionat the proper time so that bottles timed on said conveyor chain willcontact and pass by said stop finger uninterrupted.

13. A mechanism for timing bottles, comprising a continuously movingconveyor for supporting and advancing bottles positioned at randomthereon, a block slidably mounted adjacent said conveyor, spring typemeans for urging said block horizontally into operative position, a stopfinger pivotally mounted on said block so it can be moved horizontally,a contact end on said stop finger, said contact end of said finger whenin operative position extending into the path of travel of said bottlesand actuated by every bottle which is timed or untimed on said movingconveyor, said finger when in contact with an untimed bottle arranged tostop the advancement of the latter, cam means for moving said blockhorizontally into inoperative position to thereby disengage said contactend of the stop finger from said bottles, said cam means mounted on theend of a continuously rotating timing screw having helical groovesadapted to receive said timed bottles.

14. A bottle indexing mechanism, comprising a moving conveyor foradvancing and supporting bottles positioned at random thereon, a rotarytiming screw for receiving said bottles from said moving conveyor,bottle receiving grooves on said timing screw, indexing means adjacentsaid conveyor and movable horizontally by each of said bottles, a rotarycam means for indexing said bottles into said grooves on said timingscrew, said rotary cam means being mounted on the end of said rotarytiming screw for rendering said indexing means operative andinoperative, therefore a bottle which is timed and other bottles whichare closely spaced behind each other will pass said indexing meanswithout being stopped thereby.

15. A mechanism for timing bottles delivered at random on a continuouslymoving conveyor, comprising a conveyor with a continuously movingconveyor chain for supporting and advancing said bottles along apredetermined path of travel, a continuously rotating timing screwhaving helical ribs and grooves for receiving bottles from saidconveyor, a slidable block member mounted adjacent said conveyor chainso it can be moved horizontally, a stop finger with its rear end thereofpivotally mounted on said slidable block member so it can be movedhorizontally and having its forward end thereof moved by said bottlewhen said slidable block is in position adjacent to said conveyor chainto stop the advancement of said bottle, cam means for moving said blockto a position away from said conveyor chain to release said bottle fromsaid stop finger when the bottleis properly timed on said conveyorchain, and spring means associated with said block for holding saidblock in its forward and operative position, said cam means moving saidblock to inoperative position, said cam means being mounted on the endportion oi. said rotating timing screw, said spring means and said cammeans working as a unit for hold- 1 2 ing said stop finger and blockmember in operative position for a predetermined period of time and thenmoving it to inoperative position at the pi'oper time so that bottlestimed on said con- REFERENCES CITED The following references are ofrecord in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,355,184 Taliaferro Oct. 12,1920 20 1,984,659 Simmons Dec. 18, 1934 2,570,265 Nordquist Oct. 9,19512,571,036 Heyne Oct. 9, 1951

